The route to FIFA World Cup 2026™ has been laid out for the 16 UEFA nations involved in the European play-offs, with four qualification places up for grabs via the four paths.
Italy host Northern Ireland and Wales welcome Bosnia and Herzegovina in Path A, while Path B sees Ukraine up against Sweden and Poland taking on Albania.
Türkiye tackle Romania and Slovakia face Kosovo in Path C, with Denmark meeting North Macedonia in Path D, where Czechia are up against Republic of Ireland.
The draw at the Home of FIFA in Zurich also determined which of the semi-final winners would have home advantage should they reach the final in their respective pathway.
The semi-final matches are scheduled to be played on Thursday 26 March, with the finals to follow on Tuesday 31 March. The winners of the four finals will join the 12 European nations who have already punched their tickets to the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United states.
Path A
Italy v Northern Ireland
Wales v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Final: Wales/Bosnia and Herzegovina v Italy/Northern Ireland
Path B
Ukraine v Sweden
Poland v Albania
Final: Ukraine/Sweden v Poland/Albania
Path C
Türkiye v Romania
Slovakia v Kosovo
Final: Slovakia/Kosovo v Türkiye/Romania
Path D
Denmark v North Macedonia
Czechia v Republic of Ireland
Final: Czechia/Republic of Ireland v Denmark/North Macedonia
The European play-offs are made up of 12 group runners-up and the four best-ranked UEFA Nations League section winners. The 16 participating teams have been drawn into four play-off paths, each consisting of four teams. Each play-off path will be composed of two semi-final pairings of one seeded team and one unseeded team. Within each path, the teams will contest single-legged semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals progressing to single-legged finals to determine the final four UEFA representatives at the World Cup, which will take place across 16 vibrant Host Cities from Thursday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 July 2026.
The draw was presented by Melanie Winiger and conducted by Chief Tournament Officer (USA) Manolo Zubiria, with Christian Karembeu, Marco Materazzi and Martin Dahlin serving as assistants, and was preceded by the FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament draw.
